tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post1318523793225208127..comments2024-03-22T01:06:23.845-07:00Comments on Confessions of a College Professor: Another rerun: Accreditation in the early 20th century as opposed to the joke of today.Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04528555392898760692noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post-4755686440888344342014-09-18T21:25:16.582-07:002014-09-18T21:25:16.582-07:00Perhaps I was a little too eager to ride the tech-...Perhaps I was a little too eager to ride the tech-horse there, I admit lots of books really do help, and students should have access to them (but have you seen Khan Academy or the other Youtube offerings of fairly advanced material?). I've seen some schools with atrocious libraries, to be sure.<br /><br />My key point still remains: so much of what accreditation was has been abandoned, it's funny that the one thing that's kept is almost of no value to many students today.Doomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04528555392898760692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post-62100923383150384542014-09-18T19:15:57.056-07:002014-09-18T19:15:57.056-07:00"it was a very different world a century ago,..."it was a very different world a century ago, and having a big library on campus made much sense back then."<br /><br />It still makes sense now, even for undergrads. If an undergrad is taking courses in abstract algebra, differential geometry, complex analysis, etc., he or she still benefits from looking at texts other than the prescribed one. The presentations, the discussions, the examples, and often even the proofs differ. In addition some of the books take the material further than one's course text. A well-stocked departmental library is a must for a serious math (or physics or comp sci) department.<br /><br />Community colleges, junior colleges, and even universities, often lack proper libraries. In medieval times a university was essentially a library with a bunch of scholars around it. Today in the USA it's become a credential-selling racket.AAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13242448989166177843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post-17871205886244538402014-09-17T19:13:18.251-07:002014-09-17T19:13:18.251-07:00Thanks, that one is on my (way too large) agenda. ...Thanks, that one is on my (way too large) agenda. Truth be told, though, University of the People is already there as far as I'm concerned.Doomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04528555392898760692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post-36037828263020776462014-09-17T14:22:58.453-07:002014-09-17T14:22:58.453-07:00I would suggest a book for you to review (or to re...I would suggest a book for you to review (or to read for your own pleasure): "The Nearly Free University and the Emerging Economy: The Revolution in Higher Education" by Charles Hugh Smith. Monicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08103879727877816655noreply@blogger.com